Tuesday, August 05, 2008

NYT: Authorities plan for worst case(s) in Denver

The FBI's head guy in Denver still says "no credible threat," though:
Federal and local authorities are girding for huge protests, mammoth traffic tie-ups and civil disturbances at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this month, fearing that the convention will become a magnet for militant protest groups.
You mean like this?
Officials say that what makes Denver different than past conventions is the historic nature of Sen. Barack Obama's nomination, a megawattage event whose global spotlight could draw tens of thousands of demonstrators, including self-described anarchists who the police fear will infiltrate peaceful protest groups to disrupt the weeklong event.
Yeah, infiltrate.
The Secret Service is wary of discussing threats against the people they protect, but with Obama poised to become the first black presidential nominee, there are special worries. While law enforcement officials say there are no specific, credible threats against Obama, they expressed concern about low-level chatter on Web sites frequented by white separatists who spew hate about Obama's race and what they perceive as his liberal agenda.
Read whole thing, which is full of interesting facts and figures, including Denver Mayor John Chickenpooper's middle initial. It's "W":
"The magnitude of the event has expanded," said John W. Hickenlooper, the mayor of Denver and a Democrat. "It's bigger and more profound [yeah, profound] than we expected." Officials acknowledge that their projections for the number of protesters are based more on a worst-case chain of events than specific information about who will show up, but they say they cannot take any chances.
More: City Council gets a gander at some DNC security contracts:
The first is a $581,310 agreement with Adamson Police Products for protective head gear.
Pigs!
The second is with Aramsco for $566,320 for personal protective equipment (NSFW, or at least, extremely weird), though city documents don't specify what kind of protective equipment the Safety Department wants to buy. . . .

Finally, council members are being asked to approve an agreement with Denver Health Medical Center for $802,188 for paramedic and other health related services.

It's unclear whether or not all the contracts are covered by a $50 million federal grant that Denver received to pay for convention security costs, although the contracts would seem to qualify. . . .
More: For some reason Charlie Brennan has a mint-levitation story at FoxNews, probably because he got new quotes. A good one:
People waiting in line outside the Mint on Tuesday to go on the public tours were mystified when told of Recreate 68's plans.

"I don't understand," said Bob Bobo, of Colorado Springs. "The protesters ought to spend their time doing something else, if you ask me."
Totally agree, Bob Bobo of Colorado Springs!

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